Portable distilling apparatus.



PATENTED JAN. 1a, 1963.

J. KIRKALDY.

I PORTABLE DISTILLING APPARATUS.

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No. 718,209. 1 PATENTEDJAN.'13,1903;

I u J. KIRKALDY. A

PORTABLE DISTILLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APB. 1a 1901'.

N0 MODEL. 6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

No.71s2o9f A ATNTEDJ .1 1903.

' v J. KIRKALDY. PA E AN PORTABLE DISTILLING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION F ILED APR. 18, 1901. N0 MODEL. 5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Nm 718,209. I PATENTED JAN. 13, 19203. J. KIRKALDY.

PORTABLE DISTILLIN-G APPARATUS. APPLIGATION FILED APR. 18. 1901. no MODEL.

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PORTABLE DISTILLING APPARATUS. APPLIOATION FILED APR. 18, 1901. N0 MODEL. I I 5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

NITEI) STATES" PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN KIRKALDY, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

' PORTABLE DISTILLING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 718,209, dated January 13, 1903.

Application filed April 18, 1901.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN KIRK'ALDY, a subject of the King of England, residing at London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Portable Distilling Apparatus, (for which application for Letters Patent has been made in Great Britain, under No. 5,219, dated March 12, 1901,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to portabledistilling apparatus, and is particularly applicable to army requirements. The apparatus, besides distilling its appropriate quantity of gained Water from impure, muddy, or salt water, can also produce a much larger quantity of mixed boiler-steam and gained water if the water which has to be distilled is pure enough for feedingtheboilerwithout previous treatment.

The apparatus comprises a suitable framework mounted, preferably, upon four wheels and carrying at one end the boiler, of a light quick-steaming vertical type, and at the other end the seat for the driver, besides any tanks 'or receptacles which may be placed underneath the seat.

The frame comprises two horizontal longitudinal members connected at each end in any suitable manner, as by cross members secured to the longitudinal members or by other portions of the apparatus.

The boiler lies between the two horizontal members at or near one end; and between the members and more or less in the central line of the vehicle lies the evaporator, preferablyof a vertical type anddepending below the framing, whereby the center of gravity is kept low and a convenient rise to the con denser is obtained without the latter being elevated unduly.

The pump which circulates the cooling-Water for the condenser is placed between the frames a little in advance of the evaporator and at one side of the center line, the condensing apparatus being by preference still farther forward between the frames and at the opposite side. 'By this disposition the vehicle is well balanced throughout. In addition to circulating the water for the condenser the pump may also serve to feed the boiler.

The drivers seat and footboard, &c., are at serial No. 56,425. (No model.)

allot the various functions they are fitted to fulfil.

This apparatus combines for the first time,

-it is believed, in, a single'vehicle the whole of the plant requisite for supplying not merely distilled potable water from impure sources, but hot water for various purposes, while the engine can be used for driving purposes, as well as for pumping, and the pump itself may be used fordistributing water which maynot have been treated in the apparatus at allas, for example, for extinguishing fires or for irrigation or sanitary purposes. \Vith this apparatus at hand hot water for all camp purposes is immediately obtainable, whether for drinking, for baths, or for medical purposes, &c.

Though I do not wish to confine myself to precise details of construction of the various parts, the following are what I prefer to use.-

The boiler may be of any type of light compact form, preferably vertical, and capable of raising steam very quickly when the fire is applied. I prefer to make it With a large fire-box to burn any fuel that may be at hand; but it can be fired with liquid fuel, if desired. The evaporator would comprise a verticallydisposed cylindrical vessel with a large flanged door in the lower portion, to the lid of which are secured a number of coils or a single coil through which steam is driven for the purpose of heating the water in the evaporator. The coil is entirely supported by the door or cover, so that it may be'easily removed and another one substituted, if necessary, without disturbing the rest of the apparatus. The fresh-water condenser comprises one or more vertical tubes, inside which are arranged one or more coils of piping, preferably larger at their upper ends and diminishing toward their lower ends. The cooling water enters at the bottom and rises upward through the large tube or casing, while the steam from the evaporator enters the coils at the top and escapes as water at the bottom into a lower chamber, which forms a stand or base upon which the condensing apparatus is secured. The fresh water is drawn from the upper portion of this base, which may be provided with mud-holes, draw-off cocks, 850.

The vehicle is supplied with platforms or extensions as required, upon which men can sit, so that the apparatus can carry its full complement of hands for any purpose.

The feed -heater and exhaust condenser may be placed in any convenient position; but, perhaps, the most suitable is between the boiler and the evaporator. The precise form of the feed-heater may be varied; but I prefer to adopt a horizontal type, which can be carried upon a cross-framing or may be secured to the boiler or to the evaporator.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan of one construction of portable distilling apparatus according to this invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, a portion being removed for the sake of clearness. Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are vertical sections of the evaporator, the main condenser, and feedwater heater and exhaust-condenser, respectively, and are drawn to a larger scale than Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. 6 is a sectional view showing in detail the float-operating valves for maintaining an approximately constant water-level in the evaporator. Fig. 7 is a vertical section of the main condenser at right angles to the section shown in Fig. 4.

With reference first to Figs. 1 and 2, A is a frame or support having two main longitudinal members and a fore-carriage A. The frame is cross-braced in any convenient way, as at A, and supported through springs A upon wheels A a drivers seat A and footboard A being placed at the front and platformsorextensionsA attherear. The frame and its adjuncts are hereinafter described as the truck.

At the rear of the truck and between the longitudinal members a steam-generator B is mounted, and in front of this steam-generator, also between the longitudinal members of thetruck, but a little to one side of the central line, and placed as low as possible is an evaporator O. In front of the evaporator and on the other side of the central line of the truck is a small vertical engine D, while upon the opposite side of the truck immediately behind the drivers seat A is a condenser E.

A feed-water tank F is placed upon the truck immediately in front of the steam-generator B, and on top of the feed-tank is a feed-water heater and exhaust-condenser G. All these main elements of the apparatus are made as light as possible and are arranged so that the weight is as nearly as may be equally distributed over the truck.

The arrangement of the various pieces of apparatus in operative condition upon the one truck in such a way that the whole plant is balanced and easy of transport is an essential feature of this invention.

In the accompanying drawings the course of the steam from the generator is indicated by plain arrows, the course of the condensed water returning to the generator is indicated by plain dotted arrows, the course of the fresh water for condensing purposes and for supplying the evaporator is indicated by doubleheaded arrows, and the course of the steam from the evaporator to the storage-tank is indicated by triple-headed arrows.

Steam from the generator B passes through a stop-valve B to a pipe H, whence it proceeds through a pipe H to coils G in the evaporator C. These coils are not shown in Figs. 1 and 2, but may be seen in Fig. 3. On leaving the coils O the steam, which by this time is partially or wholly condensed, passes by a pipe H to a chamber Win the top of the condenser E, with which chamber comm unicates a coil E, Fig. 4, of the condenser-E. The lower end of this coil E makes connection at E with pipes 11 and H so that the water doscending the coil E may pass either through the pipe H to a fresh-water storage-tank J or be returned through the pipe H to the feedwater tank F. The steam from the generator 13 after passing through the pipe H also proceeds by a pipe H to the engine D and causes that engine to operate a pump D, which is provided with a suction-inlet D and delivers water from that inlet through a pipe D to the casing of the condenser E. The Water after passing through the casing makes its exit at D, the outlet at that point being provided with a hose-fitting, so that the Water pumped may be directed to any suitable spot and used, for instance, for extinguishing fires or for sanitary purposes in camp. The suctioninlet D is also provided with a hose-fitting. A valve-controlled pipe D leads from the outlet D to the evaporator C, the inlet to the latter being controlled by a valve 0 An outlet-valve C for the evaporator is also provided, and these valves 0 and G are conveniently controlled by a lever 0 (shown in Fig. 6,) actuated by a float C in the evaporator. When the float sinks, the inlet-valve is opened and the discharge-valve closed,and vice versa, so that the level of water in the evaporator is kept approximately constant.

A pipe H leads from the stop-valve B of the steam-generator B to a boiler-feed pump K, mounted upon the steam-generator. This pump has a suction-pipe K, communicating with the feed-water tank F, and a deliverypipe K leading to the space within the feed water heater Gr, exterior to the coil G, Fig. 5. At the other end of the feed-water heater is a pipe K leading to the interior of the steamgenerator B. The exhaust from the engine D comes through a pipe D to one end of the coil G within the feed-water heater G and is ITO joined by the exhaust from the boiler-feed pump K, which is conducted to the end of the coil Gbya pipe K. The exhaust-steam from the engine and pump is condensed in its passage through the coil G and may pass out through a pipe K to the feed-water tank F. A valve-controlled outlet-pipe K is, however, provided, so that the hot water may be drawn 0E for washing 'or other purposes.

The steam raised in the evaporator 0 passes out through a valve-controlled pipe C to a chamber E in the top of the condenser, with which chamber communicate two coils E E", Fig. 4, in the condenser E. These coils communicate with the fresh-water-storage tank J, into which the pure distilled water flows and may be withdrawn through the cock J.

A pipe D connects the discharge-outlet for the circulating water of the condenser with the pipe H, leading to the feed-water tank F, and forms a supplementary feed-inlet. At the bottom of the evaporator G is a cock 0 which communicates with the bottom portion of the coils 0, so that hot fresh water may be drawn therefrom. A mud-door C and a brine-valve C are also fitted to the evaporator. The steam-generator B is provided with a hinged chimney B which can be made to assume an approximately horizontal position, its upper end being accommodated in a support B at the back of the drivers seat A.

As may be seen by reference to Fig. 3, the steam-heating coils C of the evaporator O are fitted to the inside of a flanged door 0 which is hinged, as at C, so that by opening the door the coils may be readily inspected and, if necessary, replaced. In Fig. 3 the door O is shown open, exposing the coils G, the closed position being indicated in chain-lines. 0 Fig. 3, are baffles to throw back any water and prevent it being carried over by priming.

The apparatus may be provided with the usual fittings-such as steam-gages, safetyvalves, water-gages, &;c. Some of these fittings are illustrated in the drawings, but are not particularly described, as they present no special features.

The following is a convenient method of working the apparatus above described: After raising steam to Working pressure in the steam-generator B it is admitted to the feedpump K by opening the valve controlling the pipe H The engine D is then started to Work the circulating-pump D, and steam is admitted to the evaporator O, which has been previously filled to the working level with water. The stop-valve controlling the pipe 0 is then opened and the valve controlling the pipe D regulated so that the water in the evaporator is kept at its proper level. If necessary, the brine-valve C is opened to keep down the density, which preferably should not exceed six one-hundredths by the salinometer. The valve controlling the pipe H leadin g from the evaporator-coil O to the condenser E, is regulated to keep a suitable pressure in the evaporator, the outlet at E from the coil E being opened either to the tank J or through the pipe H to the feed-tank F, as

consisting principally of pipe-sections, will.

for convenience be referred to in the claims as conduits.

What I claim as my invention, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. In a portable distilling apparatus, the combination of a steam-generator, an evaporator, a condenser, a conduit leading from the generator through the evaporator and condenser successively, a separate conduit leading from the interior of the evaporator through the condenser, means for circulating a cooling medium around the conduits in the condenser, and conduits arranged to convey condensed water from the condenser to the generator.

2. In a portable distilling apparatus, the

combination of a steam-generator, an evaporator, and a condenser, a conduit leading from the generator through the evaporator and condenser successively, a separate conduit leading from the interior of the evaporator through the condenser, a conduit arranged to convey condensed water from the condenser to the generator, means for circulating a cooling medium around the conduits in the condenser, and means for automatically regulating the quantity of Water in the evaporator.

3. In a portable distilling apparatus, the combination of a steam-generator, an evaporator, a condenser, suitable conduits leading from the generator through the evaporator and condenser successively and thence back to the generator, a separate conduit leading from the interior of the evaporator through the condenser, and a tank arranged to receive the condensed water from said latter conduit.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

. JOHN KIRKALDY.

Witnesses:

ALFRED J. BoUL'r, HARRY B. BRIDGE.

IIO 

